Delivering expected savings of AED 80 million, Enova a facilities management company signed contract to supply solar power to four Majid Al Futtaim malls by 2018. The technology will be installed at Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif and City Centre Fujairah.

The deal is set to cut the four malls’ carbon dioxide emissions by 3,200 tons per year – the equivalent of taking 700 cars off the roads, according to Enova.

Following City Centre Me’aisem and My City Centre Al Barsha, the first malls to be fitted with solar panels a year ago, this new agreement covering four more UAE malls strengthens Majid Al Futtaim’s role in the region and is the first solar project to involve Enova.

Solar panels contain photovoltaic cells, which absorb energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. The power generated is then fed directly into the malls’ electrical network. Under this deal, about 12,500 panels will be installed across the buildings, covering an area of 25,000 square metres, including 1,020 car ports.

“We aim to slash water and energy consumption, creating more of these resources than we consume by 2040, and at least 5% of energy used will come from renewable sources by 2018,” says Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, head of sustainability at Majid Al Futtaim.

Feasibility studies are underway with a view to rolling the project out across other assets. The scheme will enable Majid Al Futtaim Properties to generate 6,000 MWh of electrical energy annually, earning it points with the LEED certification system.